Alone
by Tina101
Summary: Remus Lupin on Halloween.  Now, he's all alone, the Marauders are all gone.  Oneshot.


_Alone_

Remus sat on the ratty old couch in his small apartment sipping a cup of tea. It was Halloween night, and he was spending it alone. Most witches and wizards his age spent Halloween with their friends, but Remus and his friends weren't like most witches and wizards. At the young age of twenty-three, they had seen horrors people twice their age only dreamed of. Because of these horrors, Lily and James were in hiding. The Marauders were separated; it was the longest they had all four been apart in over twelve years. Remus took another sip of his tea. No matter how much he tried to relax, he couldn't shake the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. Remus longed to write to James and Lily; more so Lily than James at the moment. Lily was far more understanding than James. She would try to help Remus figure out what was bothering him. He simply shook it off as the usual fear and worry that haunted him. Lord Voldemort was becoming more powerful with each passing day and was hunting down two of his closest friends. Of course he was worried!

Remus finished his tea and put the empty cup and saucer on the cluttered coffee table in front of him. He looked around his apartment and sighed. Books, parchment and quills covered nearly every available surface. Occasionally there would be something of Peter's, James' or Sirius'. Remus closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. He drifted off to wonderful memories of his school days. A small smile crept across his lips as he fell asleep to past days.

A sharp, urgent knock on the front door caused Remus to bolt upright with his wand drawn. He rubbed his eyes before getting to his feet. Who could it possibly be at this hour?

"Who is it?" Remus asked through the locked door.

"Remus, it's Minerva," Minerva replied in a stressed voice. "We really need to talk." Remus unlocked the front door and let Minerva in. Minerva looked extremely stressed with pain filled eyes.

"Do you want some tea?" Remus asked as he attempted to no avail to clean up the sitting room for human habitation.

"Remus, Remus please, we need to talk." Remus turned around. Minerva's eyes were teary.

"What happened?" Remus finally managed to ask even though he was afraid of the answer he was going to get. Times were scary, and Remus knew that.

"You-Know-Who found Lily and James," Minerva said quietly. The remaining color drained from Remus' face.

"Are they…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. Minerva managed a small nod.

"They're dead, Remus. He killed them both.

"That's not possible. Peter is…he was supposed to keep them safe!" Anger surged through Remus' veins, causing him to tremble. "That bastard! Where is he!? I'll kill him myself!" Minerva took a step backwards. This wasn't the Remus Lupin she knew. The soft-spoken, rule abiding student she had taught was gone.

"Remus, there's more."

"More?"

"Peter's already dead. Sirius killed him." Remus shook his head back and forth vigorously as if trying to shake the thought from his mind.

"That's not possible." Remus couldn't wrap his mind around the thought of Sirius' quick temper finally snapping. Another, more important, thought crossed his mind. "What about Harry?"

"Albus is taking him to Lily's sister's."

"No, I'll take him," Remus said firmly.

"I don't think that that's wise. You-Know-Who tried to kill him, but something went horribly wrong. Now, You-Know-Who is dead instead, and his followers are upset. Harry will be safe where he's going." Remus sighed sadly; he got that a lot. "I have to go meet Albus. I'm sorry, Remus, I truly am." Minerva squeezed Remus' hand before Disapparating.

Remus sank onto the couch with his head in his hands. Sobs shook his entire body. Lily and James were dead, Peter was dead, and Sirius was on his way to Azkaban. The Marauders were permanently separated and nothing could change that. Caught up in the fury coursing through his body, Remus swept everything off the coffee table and onto the floor, causing a loud clatter. It didn't matter that Lord Voldemort was dead, so were his best friends. The price paid was too high. He was alone.


End file.
